Riemann's Contribution to Flight and Laser Fusion

LettersLousewort LamentsTo the Editor:Your "Lousewort Award" is appreciated(?), but a couple of questionsare in order.What kind of award do you deservefor grossly misquoting David Pimenteland me? Prof. Pimentel said that, ifAmericans were to reduce their annualprotein intake, as much as 75percent of the energy used to producefood could be saved. I said thatproduction, processing, and preparationof animal foods consumes 14 percentof the national energy budget.What is a Lousewort Award?Alex Hershaft, PhDMitre CorporationMcLean, Va.The Editor RepliesWe feel that Alex Hershaft andDavid Pimentel were correctly citedin the Lousewort Laurels award forMay. Basically, the Lousewort Awardgoes to persons or organizatons thatpropose retrogressive solutions to today'sproblems.To the Editor:I commend your choice of Elizabeth"Dottering" Gray for the JulyLousewort Laurels, but I was surprisedthat you cited a relatively minor andinsignificant contribution of Ms. Graywhile ignoring the body of her workin ethics. Her cited initiation of a"rights for the stupid" campaign isbut a minor aspect of her goal, whichis a campaign for the rites for all.Her primary concern, as I heard hershriek it at the April 14-15 meeting ofthe U.S. Association for the Club ofRome, is the total elimination of "thehierarchical ranking of the cosmos."She insists that the belief that any oneexisting thing—living, dead, organic,or inorganic—is morally superior toor has rights over any other thingmust be eliminated.She most emphatically campaignedfor the extermination of the Judeo-Christian system, which she equateswith Nazism because of the biblicalinjunction that man should rule nature.Stanley EzrolWashington, D.C.The Platonic ApproachTo EducationTo the Editor:You are to be commended for allyou are doing to help our nation findits way back to the road of progress.Your efforts to enlighten us to therich bounty available from fusion energyand space exploration is a greatsource of hope for civilization.In spite of all the excellent guidanceyou provide regarding the properthrust for our scientific research,there is one area of your "philosophy"I find very interesting and yetconfusing. I am referring to your philosophyregarding cognitive developmentin education.My questions are as follows:1. Do you place little or no valueTHE NOTEBOOKS OFLEONARDO DA VINCICompiled and edited fromthe Original Manuscripts by Jean Paul Richter$15.90 Two VolumesLeonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was one of the greatuniversal geniuses of Western civilization and theepitome of the Renaissance Man. He was a painter,scientist, sculptor, city planner, musician, architect,and we are extremely fortunate that he recordedeverything that came into his mind over the course ofsome 30 years, and that these observations —both written and illustrated — have been preserved inthese two volumes.An Unbelievable Wealth of Material for the PracticingArtist and Art HistorianIncluding not only his own insights, but also the artisticknowledge of his day, the material on art is a detaileddiscussion of: linear perspective, light andshade, perspective of disappearance, theory of colors,perspective of color and aerial perspective, onthe proportions and on the movements of the humanfigure, botany for painters and elements of landscapepainting, sculpture, writings on architecture, observationson anatomy and physiology, physicalgeography, topography, philosophy, plus humorouswritings, letters, personal records, and miscellaneousnotes.Among the prolific and beautiful illustrations aresuch magnificent works as the great self-portrait;seven studies for the Last Supper painting; eightstudies for the cartoon of the Battle ofAnghiari; thirteenstudies for the lost Sforza Monument (the onlyrecords we have of what this sculpture looked like);eighty-seven drawings, sketches and plans of famousbuildings, churches, villas, architectural details, etc.;five anatomical drawings; thirty-five drawingsrepresenting his famous investigations in the proportionsand movements of the human figure, and innumerablestudies of arms, legs, and otheranatomical details; and much more.Over 700 illustrations. Reference tables to thenumerical order of the chapters. Appendices. Totalof 866 pp. 7%x10%.Dover PublicationsDept. PMS180 Varick St.New York, N.Y. 10014Please send me sets of Leonardo's Notebooks,order numbers 22572-0, 22573-9 at $15.90 per set.(Add $1.25 to cover total shipping costs.)New York Residents add $1.27 sales tax per set.)Total enclosed $Name